Not Dreaming
by just-another-fan-account
Summary: Two and a half years after the Fourth Great Ninja war ended, Tenten reflects on those she cares about, especially one dark haired, light eyed individual. {A post war nejiten one-shot based on Papabay's most recent four-piece artwork.}


The world had been peaceful since the Fourth Great Ninja war ended two and a half years ago. There had been attempts to start another war from certain people since that time, but they had all been unsuccessful. The shinobi who had fought in the war refused to let the peace they had worked so hard to fight for come to an end.

Hundreds of shinobi had been killed in that disastrous war—losing their lives while they protected the homes and the people they loved. Hundreds more were injured, some injuries so bad that they would never be able to serve as a ninja again. Countless hours of tears had been shed because of that war and none of the five great villages wanted something like that to ever happen again.

As such, Konohagakure found itself in the longest period of peace it had seen in many years. The Sixth Hokage made sure to keep the shinobi in his village busy, despite the difficulty to find jobs. Civilians weren't in need of protection as much as they used to be, and the most common missions they were asked to help with involved helping to rebuild parts of Konoha or nearby villages.

It was on one such peaceful day in Konoha that Tenten was asked to help on a mission. Not that she would call it a real mission—she didn't feel that constructing buildings was considered a true use of her talents—but she would never voice that thought out loud. Despite not being able to test her strength in the way she once could, Tenten would never wish to go back to the time before the war.

Tenten walked along the streets of her village, a smile on her lips as she thought of all the people she cherished that lived there. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, lifting her face to catch the sun's rays and letting them warm her.

There was one person in particular that Tenten cherished in the village. During the war, he had come close to death—no, he _had _died—but with the help of Konohagakure's medical team, as well as Katsuyu, Sakura's summoning slug, they had been able to save him. He had been placed in an induced coma for three months while he healed, and the recovery process after he woke up had been arduous and slow. But, at last, Neji Hyuga had made a full recovery.

Tenten's eyes lit up at seeing said person walking towards her. He seemed lost in his own thoughts and hadn't noticed her approach yet. "Neji!" She called cheerfully, waving to get her partner's attention. He raised his eyes to meet hers, smiling, and Tenten hurried to reach his side.

"Good morning, Tenten." Neji said pleasantly as she came to a stop a short distance from him.

It was still hard for Tenten to grasp that Neji was here sometimes—that the war hadn't claimed his life as it had so many others. His wound had been so severe that, even after Katsuyu healed him, there were whispers that he wasn't going to make it. Sometimes Tenten had nightmares where Neji died during that great war and she had to live in a world without him. She always woke up gasping for breath on those nights, tears streaming down her face at the thought of what could have been.

Tenten leaned closer to the Hyuga prodigy, her face cocked to one side as she studied his features. He truly was magnificent. With his long, silky dark locks and eyes the colour of glittering pearl, he was a sight to behold. Even when they were younger, Tenten had found him attractive, despite his arrogant and unpleasant nature. She was glad that attitude had passed though, for he was now a very kind, protective and caring person.

Neji was giving his comrade a peculiar look, wondering why she was staring at him. She would do that sometimes—just stop talking to stare at his face. He wasn't sure if she knew she was doing it, or if it was a subconscious act. Either way, it was slightly unnerving, and Neji took a step back after a number of minutes had passed.

"What is it, Tenten?" He asked, averting his gaze from her prying eyes, suddenly self-conscious. "Is there something on my face?"

She leaned back slightly, a smile tugging at her mouth as she gazed at him with soft, shining eyes. "No," she replied with a shake of her head. "Your face is fine. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that this isn't a dream." Her smile was so brilliant that Neji lost the ability to breath for a second.

Neji wasn't sure what she meant by those words. What wasn't a dream? And why did she have to remind herself of that fact? He didn't get the chance to ask the questions running through his mind, though, as Tenten had already turned to walk away.

"We should get going." She called back to him from over her shoulder. "Lee and sensei are waiting for us."

Neji was left there, rooted to the spot as he stared at the retreating kunoichi's back. She was beautiful—the most beautiful woman he had ever seen—and every day he was thankful for being able to live so that he could stay in her life.

He had heard stories about people in comas being able to hear the voices of those around them, but Neji had always believed them to be fanciful stories to make those who were grieving feel better. However, Neji had been in a coma for three months and he was sure he had heard Tenten's voice on a regular basis. When he had first woken up, Neji thought that maybe it had been only wishful thinking on his part—that maybe he had imagined hearing Tenten's voice—but even during his recovery process, she was always there. She had stayed by his side, encouraging him and commending him for the progress he was making. Neji hadn't realized how much he appreciated her—cherished her—until that time. During his hardest days of recovery, when he felt like giving up, Tenten was the one who inspired him to keep going. It was as if she were his own personal angel, and Neji promised himself that he would treasure her for the rest of his life.

The wind picked up, grabbing at Neji's loosely tied hair so that it blew across his face, his eyes still trained on the retreating form in front of him. His hand gripped his backpack and a smile blossomed on his lips, once again overcome with gratitude at being alive. Neji finally moved his feet, hurrying to catch up to his partner. He fell in step beside her, reaching down to grab her hand and intertwine their fingers together. Tenten glanced up at him and they shared a smile before continuing on towards their destination.

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**This story is inspired by Papabay's newest four-piece artwork of Neji and Tenten. As soon as I saw the beautiful artwork, I knew I had to write about it. I also want to say a big thank you to my friend on Instagram for helping me edit this story. :3**

**Please leave a review if you liked it.**


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